Welcome to another episode of Tasting Notes. Once again, I'm very excited to be smoking through the line of HU tobaccos, which is finally available on U.S. soil thanks to our good friends at Kopp and your local friendly neighborhood Laudisi. These are revered and legendary blends that have not been available in the U.S. market previously. This time I am smoking HU Fayyum.

HU Fayyum's Tin Notes

HU Fayyum is one of the more popular mixtures in the HU line and definitely the most robust of the English blends, presented in a ribbon cut. Over 50 percent Latakia, it also includes Kentucky, a good dose of Black Cavendish, and a little bit of flue-cured Virginia.

It's a really heavy, full-bodied English. That's evident in the tin note for sure. As one would expect with a blend that is over 50 percent Cyprian Latakia and a heavy portion of Dark-Fired, what you get right away is intense, deep, campfire, forest, woody, and smoky notes. This is one of the more intense tin notes that I've come across in the last few years. The Cyprian Latakia is very aromatic, very woody, and very smoky. I do get some of that salty, smoked meat vibe from the Kentucky.

There are the faintest hints of sweetness and a floral character. I'm going to attribute the floral notes to both the flue-cured Virginia addition and the Kentucky. There are no Oriental varietals in this blend, so it is a twist on an English, for sure, but it's definitely full-bodied and spicy. If you're a Latakia nut, this is gonna be in your rotation forever. The tin note is a pretty good indication of what you have in store when you smoke it.

Dense and Creamy Smoke

I did not have to relight this pipe when I set it down to talk for a few minutes. It was already on the verge of going out because I was puffing very slowly. For me, the mark of a good English mixture is the spontaneity. You can really back off on your puffing cadence with a tamp, and this comes right back.

You get a big volume of smoke, and it's creamy and very dense on the palate. It's incredibly aromatic in a natural sense, especially those woody notes. It has a mesquite vibe to it.

Cyprian Latakia Takes Center Stage

The flavor is surprisingly balanced for how robust this blend is overall. At the initial light in the first third of the bowl, for me, the Cyprian Latakia is very front and center. This particular Latakia is a little bit more floral. There are some more vegetal and floral qualities than I think I'm typically used to with Latakia.

It definitely has that campfire and woody quality to it. There's a ton of body here. I think that's from the Kentucky, the Latakia, and the addition of the Black Cavendish. It's rounded, but it is absolutely full-flavored and full-bodied without being super strong.

As the bowl progresses a little bit, I do get some of those dark wine-like notes. It's not very sweet; it's more dry, like a European Cabernet, but it has a little bit of that fruity quality.

I'm definitely getting some camphor and herbal notes. This is the interesting part about Fayyum to me; it's not just your smoky, creamy, and spicy English mixture, this has a really interesting herbal quality to it that's almost a mint essence. Not like a spearmint or a peppermint, but almost like the hint of mint, maybe like dill. Some of these sharper and stronger aromatic herbs.

Flue-Cured Virginias and Kentucky Emerges

As the bowl progresses, approaching the second half, I think the flue-cured Virginias start to make themselves known a little bit better. There's a little bit more sweetness, and I'm getting some nuttiness too. I would attribute that to Kentucky probably, but really there's more complexity here than I expected at first blush and at first light.

This is a bold and flavorful mixture for people who fancy really intense tobacco flavor but is still balanced and approachable.

I would definitely suggest this as a late in the day smoke, maybe an after-dinner smoke. I do think that ardent Latakia fans could smoke this all day and be very satisfied. But for me, this is just so rich. It's a really nice treat at the end of the day or after a big meal. It would pair really nicely with your favorite spirit as well.

Complex and Robust English

Today I'm smoking HU Fayyum in a little sandblasted bent Dublin by Claudio Cavicchi. The proportions and everything about this pipe just scream English to me, and it's become one of my trusty English smokers. It's really loving this blend.

Fayyum is a deceptively complex and robust English mixture. I think anybody looking to push the limits of what an English mixture could be, and to really get a feel for the character of Cyprian Latakia, look no further. I think if you're already a fan of English mixtures, this is going to be the perfect nightcap for you.